MCA wants Khir Toyo to apologize for inciting discord, violation of Article 8 (2) of Federal Constitution

PKNS: MCA wants Khir Toyo apology, Gerakan backs Khalid too

The MCA’s Legal Bureau today demanded an apology from Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo, the former Selangor Menteri Besar, for making “sensitive, irresponsible statements calculated to sow disunity amongst Malaysians” over the recent appointment of Low.

Khir had apparently said that her appointment undermined the “capabilities of the Malays to run a company like PKNS.”

“This is a clear and unequivocal violation of Article 8 (2) of the Federal Constitution where it clearly states that there should be ‘no discrimination against citizens on the ground of religion, race, descent, place of birth or gender in appointment of any office or employment under a public authority.’

“Such a statement is also an infringement of Section 3(1) (e) of the Sedition Act 1948 for promoting ‘feelings of ill will and hostility between different races’,” it emphasised in a press statement today.

It censured Khir for going against the spirit of the BN and the intent of the Federal Constitution. It also urged the authorities to take immediate action against him if the apology is not forthcoming.

Abd Hakim Borhan will not be extended as Kuala Lumpur mayor because of unimpressive performance

Sun2Surf

The Special Task Force to Facilitate Business (Pemudah) will not recommend an extension of Datuk Abd Hakim Borhan’s tenure as Datuk Bandar of Kuala Lumpur.

Sources said Abd Hakim, 56, who retires on Dec 14, will not be given any extension when his tenure ends, following a “non-impressive performance” as caretaker of the city, in the eyes of the task force.

Pemudah, headed by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan adopted City Hall last month – the second local authority to come under its purview after the adoption of the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) last year.

Such adoptions are seen as last-ditch efforts to rehabilitate agencies that have lost the public’s confidence.

Pemudah members, when contacted, remained mum but it is understood a recommendation will be made to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for a new mayor.

“It is felt that for City Hall to improve, one needs a new person at the top,” said a source, adding that Pemudah members were unhappy with the way Abd Hakim has been treating the task force, snubbing a recent meeting which was chaired by Sidek – the co-chairman of Pemudah.

Even previous meetings have been known to be fiery, with one Pemudah member apparently telling the mayor that he will start listening to the people only when the last Barisan Nasional (BN)-held seat in Kuala Lumpur falls to the Opposition.

Results of the March 8 general election indicate that city folk have all but had it with the local authority – where the ruling coalition lost 11 of 12 parliamentary seats in Kuala Lumpur. The sole BN representative in the city is Datuk Seri Zulhasnan Rafique (Setiawangsa) who happens to be the minister of federal territories.

The agency and the mayor had been under severe criticism over several thorny issues affecting residents. They range from haphazard planning, higher assessment and the latest – hill slope development concerning the controversial Damansara 21 project. In spite of a landslide that damaged two homes at the foot of the hill on Aug 27 when a retaining wall collapsed, City Hall lifted a stop-work order.

It has done the same on several other development projects – issuing a ban at the height of public protest and then lifting it after the hoopla has died down.

The Damansara 21 project is being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Agency following reports of alleged irregularities in the approval process.

PKNS staff should back off

PKNS staff should back off

I READ with great concern the grounds given for oppossing Low Siew Moi’s appointmernt as acting general manager of PKNS.

The objection to her appointment largely on the basis of her ethnicity, perhaps even her gender, augurs badly for ethnic relations and national unity in Malaysia.

The objection by the senior staff of PKNS and reportedly even by one of the coalition partners of the State Government just goes to show that a culture has developed where merit is not valued or recognised in state agencies and appointments are expected to be made on less than relevant considerations such as ethnicity and religion.

I hope Malaysians will realise that we have to put aside these blind prejudices and realise that for Malaysia to succeed and progress as a modern nation we must value and recognise the efforts and contributions of all citizens, regardless of their ethnicity or gender.

It is indeed sad that while we have progressed in economic and material terms, our nation is still bound to old ways of thinking and acting that have no place in a modern, democratic society.

The interference by the senior staff of PKNS runs counter to established management practices and may well be the result of the race-based policies and indoctrination that the nation had been subjected to for the better part of 50 years or so.

Appointments are the prerogative of the head of the agency and in this case, the Mentri Besar, and I hope his decision is respected by all and the PKNS staff will focus on doing their work professionally instead of questioning the prerogative of the state government to appoint the most suitable person for the post.

TUNKU ABDUL AZIZ IBRAHIM,
Kuala Lumpur.

Raja Nazrin says governments cannot formulate discriminatory policies

Nazrin calls for inclusive govts

Governments can no longer afford to formulate policies, laws and regulations on a discriminatory basis and in an ethical vacuum, says the Raja Muda of Perak Raja Nazrin Shah.

The regent listed down five areas that could help empower Asian nations – strengthen the rule of law; have greater political participation; have a change of values and beliefs; beef up technology, particularly information and communication technology; and emphasise on education for it breaks the chains of oppressive traditions and extremism.

“One of the essential tasks of Asia’s leaders is to convert residents into citizens and citizens into stakeholders.

“It is only when citizens are also stakeholders that there will be the widest sense of ownership of problems and challenges.

“In order for Asian countries to weather this storm, governance systems must be broadly based and consultative to minimise non-cooperative behaviour,” said Raja Nazrin.

He added that no segment of the society must be disrespected, discredited or disenfranchised.

“No group should feel that their efforts and contributions go unrecognised and unwanted.

“We must abandon the ‘silo’ mentality where we only look up at what is happening and not beside us at what others are experiencing,” Raja Nazrin said at the 21st LawAsia Conference.

Bringing this about is one of the greatest challenges of governance today.

For this reason, he said there was a case for empowering through the principle of inclusiveness.

“Only via inclusive development through empowerment can societies become strong and we can achieve lasting outcomes,” he told lawyers, judges and students of law in his keynote address.

He said that not empowering citizens could lead to “a deep sense of alienation and hostility” that could cause “rash acts of violence that fracture societies”.

“This is bad and insensitive politics.

“We cannot morally turn our backs on the fundamental responsibility of ensuring that all stakeholders in our society, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, have a place under the sun.

“Closing two eyes to the problem does not help build the unity and integration required to face the economic and social turmoil that is likely to result.

“Empowerment is a precondition for an integrated and progressive Asia. Interestingly enough, the forces that can connect Asia also have the potential to empower its people.

Tee Keat asks NEP proponents to explain how it failed to benefit Malay masses after 40 years

Tee Keat: Have the Malays ever benefited?

Advocates of the New Economic Policy should spend time addressing the concerns of the Malay masses as many are questioning how the policy has benefited them, MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said.

He said there were concerns that the NEP advocates should identify, such as the factors which led to the failure, if at all it was true, in achieving the 30% quota of bumiputra equity ownership in public listed companies.

“Much to our dismay and chagrin, they have merely been parroting what they or their predecessors have said in the past three decades,” Ong said in his blog.

He said the advocates should take a closer look at the prevailing hardship of their own brethren at the lower rung of society.

“The pertinent question to be asked now is: Have these people ever benefited from the NEP in the past three decades?

“This question is no longer a hypothetical one purportedly raised by non-Malay elites only. In reality, this has been the common question asked by the Malay masses,” he said.

Ong said the ruling elites might frown upon them but the fact remained that they had every right to scrutinise the effectiveness of the NEP as the policy was put in place for them.

“As such, the NEP advocates, particularly those who labelled themselves as the custodians of their communal rights, should spend more time responding and addressing their own brethren’s doubts,” he said.

A Muslim’s rational view of the fatwas on tom boys and yoga

RantingsbyMM: Tomboys, Yoga…what next?

I’m just waiting for the National Fatwa Council to come out with fatwas against corruption, violence against women, cheating etc. Instead they have these.

Badawi suspends Najib’s helicopter deal

Eurocopter deal suspended, priority for people’s projects

The Government has put on hold the RM1.7bil purchase of Cougar EC 725 helicopters due to the current economic climate.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the money would now be used for other public programmes which would benefit the people.

He said the decision was made during the Economic Council meeting on Oct 13.

“We need money but we cannot be borrowing. If we feel that some projects need to be postponed then we will decide accordingly,” Abdullah told a press conference after hosting a Hari Raya and Deepavali open house at the Defence Ministry yesterday.

Abdullah, who is Defence Minister, said the purchase of the helicopters would be reactivated once the economy improved.

“We have to decide by 2011 and we may buy earlier if we have the money or we may buy fewer than what we require,” he added.

Investigation demanded into Najib’s Eurocopter deal

Channelnewsasia.com

Malaysia’s opposition, led by Anwar Ibrahim, is demanding an investigation into the defence ministry’s plans to buy several helicopters. He is asking for a royal commission to be set up.

Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi announced on Tuesday that the purchase of 12 helicopters from Eurocopter would be deferred to 2011. His government is reprioritising its spending amid the global financial crisis.

Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, the opposition said there were irregularities in the defence procurement.

They also pressed for an emergency motion to discuss the US$470 million purchase, which they claimed was way above the market average.

Lim Kit Siang, Opposition, Democratic Action Party (DAP), said: “It must be a shotgun deal because the letter of intent must have been issued early this month after the announcement by Pak Lah of approval and maybe in less than two weeks, you have this cancellation. Something seems to be very extraordinary.“

The opposition is holding Deputy Prime Minster Najib Razak responsible.

The letter of intent to purchase the 12 cougar helicopters was issued to Eurocopter two days before he switched defence portfolio with the prime minister last month.

But the public accounts committee, which began its investigation into alleged impropriety, said everything had been done in an orderly fashion.

Azmi Khalid, chairman, Public Accounts Committee, said: “Up to now, the technicalities from what we saw were not professionally done, but I’m not going to comment.”

Mr Najib who is now the Finance Minister maintains that the purchase was necessary to replace the ageing fleet of Nuri helicopters.

He has proposed extending the repayment period with Eurocopter instead of deferring the purchase.

Meanwhile the supplier Eurocopter, which is a wholly-owned division of European Aeronautic Defence and Space, is optimistic about the deal.

It maintained that negotiation is still ongoing, despite the latest controversy plaguing the sale.

Najib is no reformer

We need a reformer

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak looks like he is on the way to becoming the new Umno president and by convention (but not by law) will then probably become the new Prime Minister soon after.

Is this going to be the beginning of a new phase in Malaysian politics and governance?

I doubt it. Looking at the recent behaviour of the executive, it seems they are doing the same things they have been doing for years. March 8 does not seem to have made them any more sensitive to what bothers the Malaysian people.

Two things pop into mind.

First is the appointment of the new Chief Justice. Now, it was quite obvious that when Tan Sri Zaki Azmi made his meteoric rise in the judiciary from being former Umno lawyer to Supreme Court judge to President of the Court of Appeal, something was definitely afoot.

It could be that he is the finest of fellows, cut as he is from the cloth of Azmi Mohamed (Lord President 1968-1974, when our judiciary was respected and independent), and I am in no way suggesting otherwise.

However, considering his history and the history of our executive having such an influence on our judiciary, it is undeniable that his elevation would raise more than just eyebrows.

However, I had thought that after March 8, the executive would be a wee bit circumspect when the time came to advising the King on who should be the new Chief Justice.

I had thought that the people’s anger at the recent scandals with regard to the judiciary (which I believe was one of the issues affecting the polls outcome) would have woken the executive up to the fact that we would ideally like to see a more independent method of choosing the top judge.

Then there is the matter of a local Malay language daily and its publication of a short story about the assassination of a “fictitious” MP which, in my opinion, is little more than a thinly veiled incitement to committing violence on Teresa Kok.

There are so many laws that can be used against such an appalling act of irresponsibility on the part of the paper for publishing such a story, but all it gets is a “warning”, whatever that might be.

Now don’t get me wrong, I abhor the Printing Presses and Publications Act and I am not advocating its use against any paper, even one that behaves so badly.

However, the hypocrisy shown in that episode is appalling.

It would appear therefore that at least where the ruling party is concerned, it is business as usual in the area of politics and governance in Malaysia.

Would a change in Umno leadership alter that?

For that to happen, it would require a new top man who is a reformer; someone who is brave enough to stand up to the more extreme elements in his party; a person who has proven that he has strong principles of justice and democracy and is courageous enough to stand by them regardless of how the political winds may blow.

Selangor lost RM30 billion under Barisan Nasional administration

Selangor probing past ‘irregularities’

The state government will investigate several alleged irregularities by the Selangor State Development Corporation, including a RM100,000 gift to former Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo as a bonus.

Executive committee member Ronnie Liu said a special investigative team which was set up for the purpose would probe how certain senior officers of the corporation were holding 30% shares in a subsidiary.

He said the probe would also include how the corporation had been awarding 75% of projects to non-bumiputra firms.

In an immediate response, Anti-Corruption Agency director of investigations Datuk Mohd Shukri Abdul welcomed the move, saying that the agency would see if there was a case to investigate.

Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said on Monday that checks found that 75% of the corporation’s projects in the past were awarded direct or indirectly to non-bumiputra firms.

He also said that the state government had appointed a non-Malay as the corporation’s acting general manager because several other senior officers were found to have shares in subsidiaries, which resulted in a conflict of interest.

Liu said it was wrong for Dr Khir to take the bonus from corporation which was set up to help the needy.

“It is surprising to see a Mentri Besar, as a chairman of the corporation, accepting the so-called bonus,” he said.

Liu said Dr Khir should return the money to the corporation.

“We are still collecting evidence of the alleged wrongdoings,” he said, adding that the state government would hand its findings to the ACA.

Other irregularities, he added, included the alleged award of prime land to private companies.

Liu also revealed that Selangor government-linked companies lost an estimated RM30bil over the years due to improper planning and lopsided contracts.

The losses did not take into account lost opportunities.

Citing an example, Liu said that in 2007, the state government only collected RM17mil revenue from sand mining instead of the RM170mil which it was supposed to get.